Purdue Wins Despite Late Rally From Belmont
By Keith Carrell (@BoilerColts)
ISL Purdue Columnist
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue nearly did it; they nearly played a complete game. Though there was a brief lethargic start to the game for Purdue, the bench helped ignite energy early and often as the Boilers used active hands on the glass and solid defense to put together their most complete game of the season. But what could have been a complete game turned began to fall apart as Belmont used some late pressure to put together a rally that fell short as the Boilers beat the Bruins 73-62 Saturday; handing Belmont their second loss of the season.
The students were still away on winter break, a large contingent of Purdue fans traveled to Nashville to watch the football team play in the Music City Bowl the day before, Belmont isn’t your typical non-conference cupcake to host for the final tilt before conference play picks up in earnest. All of these added up to a potential trap game, but the fans showed up (to the tune of the second sellout of the season; a few empty pockets, but a very good crowd) and the basketball team did as well. Belmont entered the contest averaging 90 points a game and already having notched a win at UCLA, but the Purdue defense had another plan for the Bruins — holding them to a season low (previous low as 74 at UCLA).
Purdue simply, methodically dominated the contest, gradually building a lead throughout the game. By halftime, the Boilers had built a 40-24 advantage. Even during halftime, Purdue built on its lead as a review converted an earlier Carsen Edwards shot from a two to a three. The second half began more of the same as Purdue used a six minute stretch, spanning both halves, where Belmont went scoreless to hold a 22 point lead.
Midway through the second half, Purdue held a 57-34 lead and was on cruise control when Bruins head coach, Rick Byrd, called for his defense to intensify and Belmont deployed a full court press. Edwards, Eric Hunter, Jr., and Aaron Wheeler had struggled handling the press and, Purdue head coach, Matt Painter subbed in Nojel Eastern, Grady Eifert, and Ryan Cline. The results were dismal for Purdue mishandling multiple possessions, allowing easy, uncontested shots for Belmont as the Bruins drained 14 straight points in under three minutes of action.
Painter had seen enough and motioned for Edwards to reenter the game. Belmont continued to press hard as Eastern attempted to bring the ball up the court, fouling him on back-to-back possessions. Eastern answered by nailing four straight free throws (both trips to the line were in the bonus where he had to make the front end), but Purdue clung to a ten point lead. Kevin McClain drilled a three to narrow the lead to seven, but the Boilers did enough to mark that as the closest Belmont would get.
“Those free throws are crucial throughout the game and every single free throw was… just keeping that lead, keeping that comfortable lead… was very important.”
-Nojel Eastern
Whether Painter saw something on tape, was merely trying to net more offensive possessions, or underclassmen were trying to earn more playing time, the Boilers were much more active on the glass against Belmont. The entire team was very aggressive going for rebounds, especially on the offensive end as the team combined for nine rebounds on the offensive end.
In a game that felt like musical chairs at the five spot with Evan Boudreaux (earning his second consecutive start), Matt Haarms, and Trevion Williams, Williams had a solid stretch in the second half where he chipped in four points, three boards, and a blocked shot in a little over two minutes. While Boudreaux has been shaky as a starter, the bursts of energy that Haarms and Williams bring off the bench is something this Purdue squad was lacking earlier in the season.
Defense, especially on the perimeter, has been lacking for Purdue leading into their game against Belmont, but the entire team stepped up against the Bruins. Eastern led the team by handling the tough assignment of guarding Grayson Murphy, but held Murphy to six points on nine attempts (including missing all three triples). Though the defense didn’t yield a plethora of turnovers (Belmont committed nine), they forced bad angles and tough shots. The Bruins managed to make 24 of their 66 field goal attempts and only eleven of their 38 three point attempts. One of Belmont’s most prolific scorers and Indiana Native, Dylan Windler, was held to seven points (3-12, 1-8) when he normally averages 19 a game. The defense was so solid and clean against Belmont that the Bruins only attempted four free throws the entire game.
After two solid outings to wrap-up non-conference play, Purdue begins the Big Ten gauntlet with an uphill battle to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Boilers currently hold an 8-5 record with 18 conference games remaining. Their first three on the road are against teams currently in the top 15 in the AP poll and six of their first seven are against teams currently ranked in the top 25. That stretch of the schedule will go a long way in defining this Purdue season and where they’re headed in the post-season. Beating a good Belmont team and doing so by playing their most complete game of the season thus far was Purdue’s way of getting off on the right foot.
Next up:
Home: Iowa on Thursday, 1/3 (7 pm, BTN)
Quick Hits:
Windler played at Perry Meridian and was a teammate of Cline during the summer… Edwards eclipsed 50 made three pointers for the season… Windler and Edwards both missed wide open shots on the left end after getting a steal, Windler’s layup hit the bottom of the rim in the first half and Edwards had his tomahawk slam careen off the back of the rim… In the first half Eastern’s foot deflected a pass halfway up the lower bowl, the throw back to the court from there earned the fan a solid round of applause… Haarms started the second half, but quickly picked up his second and third fouls while fighting for rebounds — he appears to be embracing his role off the bench though as he contributed twelve points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in 27 minutes… Purdue outrebounded Belmont by ten and outscored the Bruins at the foul line by 15 (earning 20 extra attempts)… Edwards got quite a bit of offensive support as the bench chipped in 35 points for Purdue… After missing his first free throw attempt, Eastern connected on his final six in the game, a large reason Purdue was able to maintain a lead… With an interesting scheduling quirk, it was Nashville weekend for many fans: Purdue football played in the Music City Bowl Friday, basketball hosted Belmont (hailing from Nashville) Saturday, and the Colts play at Tennessee (in Nashville) Sunday night.
